1Department of Zoology, University of Poonch Rawalakot, 12350, Azad Kashmir, PA2Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Islamabad, PAKISTAN3Department of Wildlife and Ecology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, TR-54000 Lahore - PAKISTAN4Department of Biochemistry, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, TR-46000 Rawalpindi - PAKISTAN5Department of Zoology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, TR-46000 Rawalpindi - PAKISTAN6Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Firat, TR-23119 Elazig - TURKEY
DOI :
10.9775/kvfd.2018.21009
The widespread prevalence of gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) infections has an important impact on livestock affecting of meat, milk,
traction and manure in tropical and sub-tropical areas. The present study was aimed to monitor the efficacy of commonly available
anthelmintic drugs at publicly owned sheep farms. The sheep naturally infected with nematodes were selected, aged between 10 to 18
months, for field efficacy trial. Selected sheep were divided into five groups (15 animals each group) based on their equal egg per gram (EPG)
and body weight. Group-I served as control (untreated), while Group-II was treated with albendazole at the recommended rate of 8.8 mL/100
kg of body weight by oral drench, Group-III was treated with levamisole at the rate of 4.4 mL per 100 kg body weight, Group-IV was treated
with ivermectin, 200 μg of ivermectin per kilogram of body weight and Group-V was treated with mixture of levamisole and ivermectin at
the rate of 10 mg/kg by injecting subcutaneous, respectively. The results revealed that the highest efficacy rate (88.25%) was observed in
sheep treated with mixture of levamisole and ivermectin, followed by ivermectin (86.43%), levamisole (81.32%), and albendazole (51.11%),
respectively. The data has indicated that nematodes (Haemonchus contortus as the predominant species followed by Trichostrongylus
colubriformis, Trichostrongylus axei and Oesophagostomum columbianum) might have developed resistance against the major anthelmintic
drugs, encountered throughout this trial. Overall results showed that anthelmintic resistance resulted because non-judicial use anthelmintic
drugs without considering the epidemiological knowledge related to occurrence of commonly nematode parasites.
Keywords :
Anthelmintic efficacy, Gastrointestinal nematodes, resistance, Ivermectin, Levamisole, Albendazole